Let Go and Let God Work
June 16th was the day we got “the call”-the call
that all adoptive families want. We finally heard “a birth mom has picked you.”
The next day, we were given information about our birth mother and the
situation surrounding the pregnancy. We were asked to come meet her in Texas
the next week.
Nothing can really prepare you for those meetings. All you can
do is pray-and ask others to pray with you. Adoption is such an emotionally
dynamic experience. You never know what to expect.
Joel and I met our birth mom at our agency’s office in
Texas. We were all really nervous and on edge, but God worked on all of our
hearts. Our birth mom was constantly focused on our needs and Benjamin’s needs.
We were blown away by her compassion and her willingness to include us in all
of the “firsts” with Benjamin in the hospital. Tears started to flow, and words
of encouragement were spoken by everyone. After we met her, we knew that this
was what God wanted. He provided the peace that we needed to move forward.
Our birth mother was having some pre-labor signs, so we made
our second trip to TX two weeks later. She was given fluids and sent back home,
so we came back! It gave us more time to get our affairs in order. We received
another call July 10th, telling us she had been admitted. The medical
personnel confirmed that they would deliver the baby. We drove through the
night to get to the hospital. Benjamin was born at 2:24 a.m. on July 11th.
We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. We couldn’t see Benjamin or our birth
mother yet, so we rested until we were asked to come to her room. The moment in
which we met Benjamin was so precious. Our birth mother offered him to us, and
all of us spent time talking about him…..how long his feet and fingers were,
how little his body was, and how he was so beautiful!
The next two days, we co-parented with our birth mother. All
three of us shared time loving and caring for Benjamin. She was such a blessing
from God; she wanted us to be with him throughout the 48 hour waiting period.
That being said, those two days were some of the most beautiful,
nerve-wracking, and anxiety-driven days of my life. Nothing was in our hands;
everything was in God’s hands. We had a good relationship with our birth
mother, but she was still his mother. It was her decision as to who would be his
parents. We had to let go of what we wanted and let God work in the lives of
all of us.
The day of the signing came. After navigating through some
paperwork and working with the hospital, it was final-we could leave the
hospital with our son! Joel, Benjamin, our caseworker, and I all gathered in
our birth mother’s room to say good-bye. After praying prayers of blessings
over each other, we left. There were so many emotions: excitement, anxiety of
the unknown, pain, grief/loss over leaving our birth mother behind, and fear-we
had a baby!!!
God didn’t have to do this, but He revealed His plan and His
timing since the day we received the first phone call. When you are involved
with trying to start a family for over 2 ½ years, it is hard to keep the faith.
We were surrounded by family, friends, and our Church community who walked with
us the whole way. When we were able to come home with Benjamin, it was a
celebration for everyone-not just us. This experience has forever changed us.
Adoption is not just about growing your family; it’s about engaging others with
love, patience, and self-control that only God can provide. We are forever
thankful of the lessons that God taught us, and we can’t wait to see what God
has in store for Benjamin as we move forward.
We have to follow up with some post-placement commitments.
Hopefully we can finalize our adoption in court before the end of the year.
Until then, we are diving into parenthood and taking care of a newborn!
Thank you for all of your support!
